Discussions about circling approaches never cease to amaze me. From time immemorial, the procedure has counted as one of the most dangerous manoeuvres to undertake in a big jet (and yes, I include the A321 in that category). For many reasons, most important being issues of fatigue, combined with poor visibility/night time, combined with low altitude manoeuvring, combined with LACK OF PRACTICE!
Someone many posts ago pointed out that most of us get to “practice” circling approaches in the sim, usually once in a blue moon (lots of stuff to get through on recurrencies these days). I am sure that even the aces that fly for 411A’s outfit would find it challenging if thrown into a circling situation at short notice, maybe after a long multi sector day/night.
My company’s stabilisation criteria require wings level at 400 ft after a circling approach. In a 747/777? Give me a break! The wingtips would have been scraping the treetops just before that, if you were not precisely on the numbers (and who can guarantee that 100% every time? 411A’s boys, maybe…).
The sooner someone in the regulatory department accepts the fact that Cat C/D a/c should not be doing this sort of stuff, the better. Let’s forget the “macho’. Our customers deserve it. I personally resolved long ago not to accept an instruction to circle, certainly not in mountainous terrain; divert is a better option, whether commercial dept likes it or not. Fortunately the situation has not arisen yet.
To the credit of our ops department, we are even discouraged from accepting the last minute side-step to other runways much beloved in US airports. This may be ok for those guys operating in there day in and day out, but not for the occasional visitor.
I can hear the armchair experts spouting now-“this should not be a problem for the professional pilot” and indeed it would not, but it would not be tidy, or comfortable, and in this day and age, our aim is to make everything as drama free as possible. No one likes surprises in the air, be you pilot or passenger. To the uninitiated, you would not believe how much Big Brother (AFDR-data recorder) is watching you in the cockpit. Put one foot outside the many (very tight) approach /landing parameters and it is a call from the office for a discussion with the Chief Pilot (no tea and biccy’s either, and quite rightly so). Flight safety is what it is today because of these sort of policies. It’s the least our customers deserve.
Back to the main topic; someone suggested possible “Map Shift”? Maybe in the older a/c, but in today’s machines with triple IRS/GPS Nav working overtime to maintain RNP/ANP, I doubt if it was a factor. Have a read in past issues of Aviation Week about Chinese airline operations into high altitude, mountainous airfields using RNAV approaches..